Mutula kin on the spotlight as by-election draws near

Posted by: The People in Political May 26, 2013

By WALTER JUMA

The declaration of the Makueni senate seat as vacant by Speaker of the Senate Ekwe Ethuro, following the death of former Makueni senator Mutula Kilonzo has turned focus towards who is likely to fit the eloquent lawyer’s shoes. Speculation is rife in the county that a member of Mutula’s family is likely to take up the leadership mantle in the by-election slated for July 22. Already, former Kibwezi MP Kalembe Ndile is rooting for his daughter, lawyer Kethi Kilonzo.

Kalembe wants her to vie for the seat on The Independent Party (TIP) ticket. Mutula belonged to the Wiper Democratic Movement, a party associated with former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, of which he was secretary general. Speaking to the media a few weeks ago, Kalembe said his party is ready to offer Kethi or Mutula Junior direct nomination if one of them shows interest in the seat.

“As TIP we are planning to approach either Kethi Kilonzo or Mutula Junior because we feel that one of the children of the late senator can take over as the next senator of Makueni,” Kalembe said. Whether the two will pick up the gauntlet remains to be seen. The decision by his widow, Nduku, to give elaborate media interviews on her life and relationship with the late senator, has also sparked speculation in some quarters she may be preparing herself for public life.

Former Central Bank of Kenya Governor Andrew Mulei is also a likely candidate. Mulei, a cousin to the late Mutula, assured Makueni residents the family will not abandon them, during the late senator’s burial, which could be interpreted to mean a successor will emerge from the family. However, several leaders from the county are said to be eyeing the seat.

They include former Kibwezi MP Prof Philip Kaloki, former Kilome MP John Harun Mwau, former Makueni MP Peter Kiilu, former Kaiti MP Gideon Ndambuki and Jane Kitundu. Speaking to Political on phone, Makueni County Assembly Majority Leader Francis Munyao Mutuku said if no one from the family of the late Mutula shows interest in the seat then Prof Kaloki will have a upper hand in race.

Mutuku argues Kaloki has leadership skills compared to the other possible contestants. “There is speculation that either Kethi, Mutula Junior or even Nduku might vie for the seat. But if none of them are in the race then I see a possibility of Prof Kaloki having it easy if he goes for the seat,” Mutuku said.

According to Kalembe, Kethi is reluctant to plunge into politics and would instead rather continue her late father’s legacy in the legal profession. She is already a reputed figure after her starring performance during the hearing of the presidential petition at the Supreme Court. “I have met Kethi and she has not shown any interest in the seat.

She told me to give her time to decide whether she will seek to succeed her father. We will give her time to decide, but one thing I want to assure you is that TIP is going to nominate someone for the Makueni senate seat,” Kalembe said Mutuku, the Nzaui/Kilili ward representative and a keen watcher of Makueni politics, said there is a lot of anxiety in the county over who would succeed the late Mutula.

In an interesting twist, he, however, divulged that Makueni county assembly members have all agreed to rally behind Kaloki if he secures the ticket of a party allied to Jubilee, the coalition that brought to power President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto. “We are likely to back Prof Kaloki to vie under Jubilee coalition so that as a county from the lower eastern region we can have somebody allied to the Jubilee government,” the county representative stated.

Kaloki vied for the Makueni gubernatorial seat during the March 4 General Election on a Wiper Democratic Movement ticket, but lost to Prof Kivutha Kibwana of Muungano party. Both parties are affiliated to the Coalition of Reforms and Democracy led by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka and Bungoma Senator Moses Wetangula. Mwau, popularly known as ‘Boss’, vied against Mutula on the ticket of his Party of Independent Candidates of Kenya (PICK) but lost.

Ndambuki lost to Mutula in the Wiper party nominations. Although the county boasts several seasoned political leaders, many residents and political leaders in the county seem to settle on the late Mutula’s daughter Kethi Diana Kilonzo as the person they prefer to succeed the late senator. Speaking to Political, Kaloki said he is still weighing his options, adding by next week he will have made a decision on whether to run or not.

“I am yet to decide on whether contest for the seat as there are various issues I am looking into right now but by next week, I will make a decision on whether to succeed the late Mutula Kilonzo,” Kaloki said. Ndolo, a former Provincial Commissioner, has an added advantage if he vies since he is close to the late Mutula family and also hails from Mbooni.

But analysts say other than the late Mutula’s family showing interest in the seat, other factors likely to influence the choice of the next senator will be the choice of party. Many voters and leaders in Ukambani have been warming up to Jubilee after the defeat of Cord, which garnered majority votes in the March 4 elections.

The appointment of Charity Ngilu into cabinet secretary for Land, Urban Development and Housing may tilt the scales this time round. Ngilu will, however, not have direct involvement in the campaigns as this would be against the law. She was the leader of Narc, which was allied to Jubilee, and her campaigns in lower eastern gave Uhuru more that 25 percent of the vote.